Aviation Archive: Aviation Heritage

FILTON - THE AIRCRAFT

Filton, chosen by Sir George White to be the home of a new venture in aircraft manufacture. The town lies to the north of Bristol in what was then the County of Gloucestershire. At that time it marked the end of a tramways route and was home to sheds used to build and refurbish tram bodies.

Today, the factory, and its staff still remain at the forefront of aviation technical innovation and will remain so for many years. The site still influences aircraft wing engineering under AIRBUS UK and is still involved in gas turbine development and production with Rolls-Royce.

In 1910 when it was formed as the 'British & Colonial Aeroplane Company' until in 1920 it became the familiar local name 'The Bristol Aeroplane Company' which it stayed as such until 1959 when it merged and became the British Aircraft Corporation. During that time some 221 aircraft types had been designed and many built by its workforce. The Type system was introduced by Frank Barnwell in 1915 who omitted many aircraft made prior to this. Post 1959 there have been less designs but of course Concorde and for the past 30 years Airbus.

This exhibition with its pages will attempt to show the aircraft that have been the lifeblood of Bristol for almost 100 years.This exhibition is much indebted to the work of C H Barnes whose book 'Bristol Aircraft since 1910' has been one of my main sources of research. Other contributors have been Sir Bob Wall, Brian Green as well as members of the Bristol Aero Collection, Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust and Airbus UK.